St Germain Des Pres Cafe 2

Gay old Paris has always had a soft spot for "le jazz," and so it is that the French compilation Saint German Des Prés Café 2 leans toward the jazzier side of dance music. It's not an entirely original concept, but the choice of tracks happens to be second to none, drawing from a host of respected house, nu-jazz, broken beat, and downtempo artists, as well as some "real" jazz musicians like American legend Herbie Hancock (with his track "The Essence") and contemporary Norwegian star Bugge Wesseltoft (with the multitextured "Change"). Featuring artists like Beady Belle ("Game"), Mo' Horizons ("Hit the Road, Jack"), and Kenny Dope ("Mr. Dope"), SGDPC 2 may be a mouthful to say, but it has all the mellow house, warm horns, liquid rhythms, and soulful head nods you'll need to make a perfect summer evening soundtrack. --Paul Sullivan